


our time is running out (how did it come to this)

by luceminate



Series: Staubrey Week 2019 [1]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Staubrey Week 2019, also i'm sorry, because i am serving angst, i hope y'all like honey nut hurt your feelios, minor fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-09 01:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17992439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luceminate/pseuds/luceminate
Summary: Staubrey Week 2019Day 1: SoulmatesBased on the prompt(s): A timer for when you meet your soulmate + A timer for when the other dies.





	our time is running out (how did it come to this)

Honestly, when Stacie walked onto the stage for auditions the same time Aubrey’s timer counted down to zero, it wasn’t what the blonde was expecting. Like, at all, and by the look on Stacie’s face, it wasn’t what she was expecting either. Except, Stacie can only gaze into the audience in confusion when her wrist tingles, and looking down she sees that her timer is on zero, but she’s no closer to knowing who  _ they _ are.

 

With a slight frown, Stacie introduces herself, taking another quick glance around to see if anyone else is aware of the significance of this moment, but only receives an encouraging nod from the redhead in the front row, the blonde next to her seemingly invested in her application profile.

 

Taking a breath, Stacie starts her audition.

 

*

 

Stacie thinks that Aubrey is crazy. 

 

She’s obsessive, neurotic, domineering, and so set in her ways it makes her incapable of taking direction from anyone. She treats their practice time like basic training, putting the Bellas through hours and hours of cardio. Considering who her dad is, though, it makes sense.

 

Aubrey’s had the notion of perfection (and the need to  _ be  _ perfect) drilled into her brain since the moment she could say the word.

 

But Stacie’s seen Aubrey in the quiet moments, standing off to the side as Chloe runs them through some of the choreography; sees the frown pulling at her lips, the crease of her brow, the hand raised to fiddle nervously with the necklace that lives around her neck.

 

Stacie’s seen the video from last year’s ICCA’s, knows that Aubrey’s need for them to be perfect comes from a place of anxiety over last year’s misfortune, of needing to redeem not only herself, but the Bellas.

 

Stacie knows it’s not just about the winning; she’s observant like that.

 

It’s this observance that keys Stacie into the fact that Aubrey spends a significantly  _ less _ amount of time with her. Even Beca gets more one on one time during rehearsals. It sets Stacie off on a mission to get Aubrey to like her because she has a hunch as to why the blonde is so avoidant and her intuition hasn’t failed her before.

 

It shouldn’t be too hard.

 

Except it is.

 

Because Stacie knows that Aubrey’s crazy, but she can’t stop herself from falling.

 

*

 

Aubrey has no idea how to approach Stacie. How to talk to her. How to be near her. How to even  _ look _ at her without that familiar sense of anxiety brewing in her stomach.

 

She notices the confused glances Stacie shoots her from time to time, how the brunette makes a conscious effort to be near her, to talk to her and ask her for help. Most of the time Aubrey can direct Stacie to Chloe for assistance, the latter shooting her best friend a knowing look that was a combination of being sympathetic yet pointed.

 

Aubrey hadn’t been able to hide her zeroed out timer for long, not from Chloe, quite possibly the only person who knows Aubrey better than herself. It had taken her even less time to break down in her friends arms about the situation.

 

The last thing Aubrey needed was another person in her life for her to let down; for her to burden another person with her bevy of issues.

 

She doesn’t need another reason for her father to be disappointed in her.

 

So, Aubrey tries to orchestrate their interactions so there’s as little time and communication spent between them. She busies herself with the other Bellas, pawning Stacie off to Chloe as often as possible, Chloe sometimes taking the initiative in support of her best friend, even if she doesn’t agree with what she’s doing.

 

But it doesn’t always work.

 

Sometimes Chloe is already too busy with the other Bellas and Aubrey has no choice but to get close to Stacie and help her master her breakdowns, to be in close proximity to her when she’s correcting a misstep in the choreography.

 

She can feel herself slipping, intoxicating by just being  _ near  _ Stacie, and so she doubles down her efforts to  _ not. _

 

Except it seems Stacie is also doubling down her own efforts and Aubrey doesn’t understand  _ why _ .

 

Stacie starts by cornering her after practice sometimes, to talk about the upcoming competition, to go over breakdowns, or to just talk about the weather and Aubrey will give her a polite five minutes before she makes herself scarce, usually claiming to be late for a study group.

 

Aubrey thinks she eventually gets the hint and leaves her alone.

 

But then Stacie finds her at the library one day and they end up sharing a table in semi-comfortable silence. Stacie doesn’t push her, stops trying to pursue conversations the blonde clearly does not want to be a part of, and just sits and does her work, shooting shy glances Aubrey’s way from time to time.

 

Aubrey doesn’t mind this version of Stacie, can feel herself becoming more and more comfortable as the weeks turn into months, can feel herself opening up to Stacie, to the possibility of  _ them _ .

 

Still, Aubrey remains cautious around her, makes sure to always wear a watch or a bracelet that covers the series of zeroes on her wrist, not knowing if she’ll ever be ready to show Stacie what lies beneath. She knows it’s not fair, she’s seen the zeroes on the brunette's wrist countless times, Stacie obviously without a care as to who sees them.

 

Stacie has the patience of a saint and it just adds another thing onto the list of reasons as to why Stacie is too good for her, and Aubrey’s cowardice onto the list of reasons as to why she’ll never be good enough.

 

Still, no matter how many reasons, valid or otherwise, Aubrey makes as to why they shouldn’t be together, she can’t find a good enough reason to stop herself from falling in love with Stacie.

 

And she hates herself for it.

 

Even more so when the night after the ICCA Finals, Aubrey awakes to a searing pain in her wrist and can’t stop the scream that escapes her lips at the burning sensation. Chloe’s at her side in an instant, worry and panic etched over her face as she watches her best friend writhe in pain, her right hand clutching firmly at her left wrist.

 

“Aubrey!” She hears Chloe yell a few times, can feel hands on her shoulders trying to get her to focus on anything but the pain. The hands leave and Aubrey watches as Chloe slips into the en suite in their hotel room and returns soon after with a damp cloth, placing it on Aubrey’s wrist.

 

Aubrey sighs as the pain eases momentarily, only for it to come back in such a blinding fashion that there’s nothing that she can do except succumb to the pain, passing out soon after, Chloe’s panicked voice becoming distorted as her vision fades to black.

 

*

 

Stacie wakes up the morning after the ICCA’s feeling slightly off but puts it down to being in a different bed and environment than what she’s used to. (She could put it down to the slight hangover she’s nursing from celebrating their win last night and having to be up in the AM, but it doesn’t feel like her usual hangover).

 

She doesn’t notice anything wrong until she makes it down to breakfast with the rest of the Bellas, only to notice almost as soon as she arrived, that their co-captains were missing. She’s inclined to worry because Aubrey is never late to anything and Chloe wouldn’t ditch on scheduled plans without dropping a message in their group chat first.

 

Stacie gets an uneasy feeling, can feel that there’s something seriously amiss, but she doesn’t know exactly what, just that it has to do with Aubrey.

 

Chloe comes down halfway through breakfast looking exhausted, picks up a bagel from the small selection at the hotel’s breakfast buffet, along with some orange juice, and joins Stacie at the table she was occupying with Beca and Lilly, obviously opting for the quieter group of Bellas.

 

Chloe sits in silence, barely touching her bagel as she keeps her eyes glued to the table. Stacie shares a worried glance with Beca, who looks equally as perturbed at the redhead’s uncharacteristic demeanour. Stacie reaches a hand over to rest on Chloe’s, trying to get her attention and just as she’s about to call her name, Chloe glances up slightly and freezes when her gaze lands on Stacie’s wrist.

 

Stacie watches as Chloe’s expression drops, a wave of understanding passing over her face as her eyes widen and briefly make contact with Stacie’s and Stacie can only describe those blue eyes as being full of dread _.  _

 

Before anyone can question her, Chloe’s up and out of her seat and sprinting towards the elevators. Stacie and Beca share an equally worried glance before the former races after Chloe, making it to the elevator just as the doors begin to close.

 

Chloe has tears streaming down her face as she paces the small space of the elevator once, twice, thrice, before turning to Stacie and reaching for her right wrist, a sob escaping her lips when it’s apparent that what she’d seen a mere thirty seconds ago had not been a figment of her imagination. 

 

Stacie’s about to ask what her problem is when she notices that the timer on her wrist had one minute and twenty-eight, twenty-seven, twenty-six seconds. It takes Stacie an extra five seconds to realise that her timer had gone from being pitch black in colour, to a faded grey, making the numbers barely visible, the numbers that should all read zero because Stacie  _ knows _ she’s met her soulmate.

 

Even if Aubrey hasn’t accepted it yet and they haven’t officially made their soulmate bond,  _ Stacie knows.  _ No matter how much Aubrey tried to pull away, she couldn’t stay away, that she was slowly coming around to the idea of them. Stacie knows Aubrey loves her and that she loves Aubrey.

 

_ So why was this happening. _

 

The elevator dings and Chloe is out of it before the doors are even fully open, Stacie hot on her tail, and they make it to the co-captains’ room with Stacie’s timer reading just under a minute. 

 

_ 54. _

 

Stacie watched as Chloe struggled with the room key, her hands shaking too much, so the brunette steps in and takes the key, making quick work of unlocking the door before opening it.

 

_ 47. _

 

The first thing Stacie notices is the utter mess in the room, sheets disheveled and an abandoned washcloth by one of the beds.

 

_ 44. _

 

The second thing Stacie notices is the arm dangling just above the discarded washcloth.

 

_ 42. _

 

Stacie sees a series of what look like burn marks on the wrist of the dangling arm, her eyes fixated on them, and it takes a second for Stacie to realise that the burn marks are shaped like  _ zeroes. _

 

_ 39. _

 

Stacie’s eyes trail up the arm and widen when they see the state Aubrey is in. Her face has taken on a grey pallor, a light sheen of sweat seems to cover her entire body, and her eyes are barely open, staring up at the ceiling.

 

_ 30. _

 

Chloe has already made her way over to the blonde, calling her name and trying to get a response, any response, but Aubrey remains unmoving, and her eyes remain unseeing.

 

_ 28. _

 

Stacie takes a step closer, gets a closer look at Aubrey’s wrist, notices the deep and raw red the zeroes have become, as if they’d been carved into her skin.

 

_ 24. _

 

Chloe’s yelling at her now, tears streaming down her face, calling for her to help, to save Aubrey, to do anything because she’s the only one who can.

 

_ 20. _

 

Stacie’s vision is blurry as she strides over to the bed.

 

_ 18. _

 

She feels like she’s drowning.

 

_ 17. _

 

Aubrey’s not responding.

 

_ 15. _

 

_ Aubrey’s not breathing. _

 

_ 14. _

 

Stacie places one hand on Aubrey’s chest, feels a faint  _ thump, thump _ , and she feels hope bloom in her own.

 

_ 12. _

 

Stacie reaches down for Aubrey’s left hand, grasps it firmly with her right.

 

_ 10. _

 

She watches as nothing happens.

 

_ 9. _

 

Their timers are connected and  _ nothing is happening. _

 

_ 6. _

 

The tears that had been building in Stacie’s eyes finally begin to fall, a sob ripping its way out of her throat.

 

_ 5. _

 

Stacie tightens her grip, closes her eyes, and wills for  _ something _ to happen, for this to be a nightmare, for Aubrey to be playing some kind of sick joke because  _ this can’t be happening. _

 

_ 3. _

 

Stacie barely hears the gasp that escapes Chloe, too busy focusing on the fact that her soulmate is  _ dying _ and there’s nothing she can do.

 

_ 2. _

 

Stacie’s eyes open to notice a soft white glow emanating from her wrist, Aubrey’s timer seemingly repairing itself.

 

_ 1. _

 

Stacie’s timer stops glowing almost as soon as it starts, the zeroes displayed now white in colour, while Aubrey’s have scarred over.

 

The room is silent, eerily so, as Stacie and Chloe wait with bated breath from Aubrey to do anything. Chloe checks for a pulse, her hands still holding a slight tremor as she waits, waits, and waits… until she drops her chin to her chest.

 

Stacie begins to think the worst until Chloe’s head shoots up and her eyes are filled with tears but the expression on her face is anything but mournful and she’s almost too caught up on the fact that Chloe seems on the verge of  _ laughing _ that she nearly misses the slight pressure being applied to her right hand.

 

She glances over and notices that Aubrey’s eyes are on her, are  _ seeing _ her, and she can’t help the relieved sob that escapes her lips as she surges forward to kiss Aubrey.

 

“Don’t you ever do that to me again, you hear me?  _ Ever. _ ” Stacie warns, her words barely legible through the tears and her reluctance to stop planting kisses all over Aubrey’s face.

 

“I promise.” Aubrey replies, her voice wavers, barely above a whisper, but it’s clear. She reaches a weak arm up and cups Stacie’s cheek, her thumb swiping away the tears that continue to fall. She offers a weak smile and Stacie gives the sentiment a watery smile before leaning down and kissing her soulmate.

 

_ Her soulmate. _

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thought I'd try my hand at some Staubrey. Let me know what y'all think! :)


End file.
